I play! I'm also really happy to teach anyone who wants to learn. I play on KGS (the most common Go server for westerners, for those who don't know), with username tealeaf. The url for KGS is http://www.gokgs.com -- there are links to tutorials there. If you'd like to learn even the basics, feel free to send me a private message.

I also play xiangqi very badly, but would be happy to play anyone. I don't know of a really good place, equivalent to KGS, to play online, though.

I love graphic art in general and above all movies, animation pictures,and lately I watched a Japanese anime series called Ikaru No Go and since then I got interested in Go.

I have finished the "The Interactive Way To Go" tutorial, the KGS tutorial and I started to read the first volume of Janice Kim's Learn To Play Go Series and soon will start Cho Chikun's "Go A Complete Introduction To The Game"

Right now I am bad, I mean really bad: I lose while playing Igowin with the 25 Kyu setting . I don't care...it's fun and I enjoy the learning process.

Hit me up for a game on KGS if you see me, I'm 'theTick' there. Haven't been playing much lately, just watching games on my lunch hour. I'm more than happy to teach anyone beginner -> ~10k there if you ask (I'm around 3k last I played regular).

Computers can beat the best pro chess player, but an amateur who has seriously studied more than a year or so can beat the best go programs (although some recent ones are getting stronger). Go has a really good handicap system that allows you to play people 9 ranks stronger or weaker than you ( big range) and still have an interesting game for both players. A 5 year old can learn how to play the game in 20 minutes ( I've taught several, none of them took more than 30 minutes to grasp the entire rule set ), but go masters who have studied their whole life still feel there is more to learn.

@Artemis - There really is no comparison to chess, so just stop that.. ;P

@Sal - There really is no comparison to chess, if you suck at chess you will probably be fantastic at go.

@brad4419 - I know what you mean about go feeling relaxing, one of it's nick names is 'hand talk'. It always feels like a friendly conversation to me.

@ummaya - the kim series is pretty good you will learn a lot of good habits there, but I would caution against playing too much against the computer. The general wisdom is at the lower levels (beginning -> 15k or so) playing other people and studying go problems like http://www.goproblems.com half and half is most productive. The saying is 'get the first 50 games out of the way as soon as possible'. Get a KGS account and join the teaching ladder and beginner rooms and ask stronger players to teach you. 'Practice makes habit, not perfect' so make sure you practice in the best way possible.

I would caution against playing too much against the computer.The general wisdom is at the lower levels (beginning -> 15k or so) playing other people and studying go problems like http://www.goproblems.com half and half is most productive.

I have already started to solve problems at goproblems.com and several from Kano Yoshinori's "Graded go problems for beginners"(30-25kyu). As soon as I get through Kim second book,Cho Chikun Introduction and solve more problems I will go online to get my butt kicked and lose my first 50 (or more) games.

Do you know Richard Bozulich's "One Thousand and One Life and Death Problems" ? Is it a good book to study for a beginner like me?

All of his books are good IMO, but I would strongly advise you get on KGS and start playing right now instead. Tactics (life and death problems) are fun and important, but strategy is more important to winning games and you only learn that playing games.

"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." Sun Tzu - The Art of War

ps. the graded go problems books are excellent! However I think the ratings they list are a bit off on the low side, I would repeat vol 1 a couple times and get to 20k or so before moving to vol 2. vol 4 is hard and probably shouldn't be approached till after maybe 8k. Just my opinion, sure there are others and as I've stated I value strategy over tactics. The Kim books and a couple from the Elementary Go series helped me the most - 'In the Beginning', '38 Joseki' and 'Tesuji'.

I don't generally "study" any more, although I'm not quite resigned to being an eternal 6k. I like to play games against friends and people that I know, but I'm not that keen on random online games against strangers. I occasionally go through a period of reading problem books, but my only computer study aids are KGS and occasionally IGS.

I'm Vegano and Gackt on KGS (7k~8k), please add me there!Tenuki-san, you just got yourself a pupil also, amazing set! I'm saving some money so I can get a goban and a tea set just like that Both you and tealeaf are "2d?" on kgs haha